CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19959, 17 November 1934, Page 6

CHRISTCHURCH NEWS

ITEMS FROM THE CITY CHRISTCHURCH, November 16. Personal: Mr C. E. Otley, of Christchurch, has been elected president of the New Zealand Timber Merchants Federation. The Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) arrived from the north this morning on his way to his home at Cheviot. Mr Murray Smith, Cashmere Hills, and Mr R. D. Westenra, Dunsandel, returned to Christchurch yesterday from a trip to Great Britain, which occupied some months. Detective F ; . Thompson, of the Christchurch office, has received notice of his transfer to Invercargill to take charge of the detective office there. Detective Thompson is at present engaged on the Blackball poisoning case. Mr F. E. Hutchinson, who has been appointed to a position with the forestry branch of the Australian Association for Scientific and Industrial Research will sail for Australia by the Wanganella on November 22. Canon H. E. Newton, of Harrowgate, England, arrived at Lyttelton by the Ruahine from England. Thirtytwo years ago Canon Newton was vicar at Ross, on the West Coast, and at that time was a keen mountaineer and amateur photographer. He will be the guest of the Rev. H. G. Hawkins, of Glenmark, North Canterbury. Riccarton Avenue: Riccarton Avenue is at present being given its final coat of bitumen by the works department of the City Council, which is taking advantage of the fine weather to complete the job. When the work was discontinued a few months ago a width of about three feet on each side of the roadway was not sealed as it had not had time to consolidate, but the remainder of the roadway under the control of the City Council was given a coat of bitumen. The whole of the roadway except the portion which the Tramway Board maintains, is now being sealed with bitumen. House Robbed: Thieves entered the home of Mr George Raymond, 102 Heaton Street, between 7.45 p.m. and 11.30 p.m. yesterday and stole 30/- in money. The house was entered through a fanlight, and a hurried search was made. The money was taken from a handbag. Methodist Synod: The annual sessions of the Methodist Synod of the North Canterbury district will be held next week in the Durham Street Church, commencing with the ministerial session on Tuesday morning. Representatives, both lay and ministerial, will be present from all parts of the district. State of Rivers: Reports on the rivers received by the secretary of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society at noon to-day were to the effect that the Waimakariri, Rakaia, Hurunui, Ashley and Rangitata rivers are clear and fishable. Retail Prices: Retail prices ruling in Christchurch to-day were as follows: Fish.—Whitebait 1/3 and 1/6 a half, groper 8d to lOd a lb, terakihi 6d ro lOd. ling 3d to sd, gurnet 3d to sd, King fish Bd, soles Bd, flounders Bd, blue cod Bd. Best Quality meat. —Spring lamb lOd to 1/-, stewing chops sd, middle loin chops Bd, rib chops 7d, legs of mutton 7d and Bd, forequarters 4id to sd, flaps of mutton 2id, leg chops Bd, sirloin of beef 7d to Bd, rump steak lOd, gravy beef 4d,to sd. pork 8d to 9d. Butter—Factory * made first grade lOd to lid, second grade 9d, separator Bd. Cheese —Mild Bd, medium lOd, tasty 1/4. Honey—ln bulk 6d a lb, cartons 7d and 1/2. Eggs—First grade lid a dozen, second grade 9d a dozen, ducks lOd. The Deer Menace: The Government’s campaign against the deer menace is to be resumed shortly, and arrangements are being made at the present time to send culling parties out to various districts in the South Island. Captain G. F. Yerex, who is in charge of the culling operations, is now engaged in organising the parties, and he will go south to-morrow for the purpose of supervising the arrangements for sending cullers into the back country of Southland. Captain Yerex said to-day that so far no steps had been taken to send cullers into the country at the head of the Waimakariri River this year. Last season fairly good results were obtained in this district, and in the Esk River country, but he could not say at present to what extent the operations would go this year. Warm Weather: To-day was the hottest day so far this week. The air temperature at noon was 77.0 degrees, and it is thought that it was up to 78.0 earlier in the morning. To-day is a good deal hotter than any day in the past two weeks, but there was a temperature of 79.0 last month. Flames in Court: Sheets of paper sprang into flame in the fingers of Chief-Detective Dunlop in the Coroner’s Court this morning when an experiment was carried out in an attempt to explain a point to a witness in the course of the Coroner’s inquiry into the fire that occurred at the warehouse of Davidson and Co., Ltd., on June 8. The witness was William Davidson manager of the company, and there had been considerable discussion of what constituted stock totally destroyed leaving no trace. The chief-detective took a sheet from a note pad and lit it with a match, holding it up and then letting it drop to the floor to curl into ash. “We won’t try the chief-detective for incendiarism,” commented the Coroner. “That represents stock completely destroyed.” said the chief-detective. He then burned another sheet which he extinguished when it was half consumed. “That is stock partly destroyed,” be added. The examination of the witness was then continued. Pipe Bands’ Contest: Four Canterbury pipe bands will leave for Greymouth by a special excursion train to-morrow to take part in a pipe bands’ contest organised by the Runanga Pipe Band. It is expected that between 400 and 500 excursionists will make the trip. The following bands will travel by the train:—Canterbury Caledonian. Christchurch Scottish, . Ashburton Country and North Canterbury Caledonian. There are two pipe bands on the West Coast, the Runanga Band and the Blackball Caledonian Society's Pipe Band. Dismissed from Hospital: This week there is some excitement in hospital circles. Five girls, students in the probationers’ class, received summary notice of dismissal on Monday after two months’ trial, instead of the usual three months. Much feeling, it is said, has been aroused among

hospital nurses at the action, and the girls themselves have lodged complaints with members of the Hospital Board. It is believed that the matter will be dealt with at the next meeting of the Hospital Committee. The Potato Embargo: New Zealand is up against very strong influence exercised by the potato growers of Victoria in its trouble over the citrus fruit and potato embargoes, the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.), who has just returned from a visit of five weeks to Australia, remarked to a reporter. The Victorian potato growers, concerned only with securing the best possible price for their product, had enough influence to secure the imposition of the embargo against potatoes from New Zealand. The New Zealand Government had replied with the embargo on citrus fruit. The Mayor gathered the impression j that the New Zealand Government had good ground for its second line of defence for the embargo, that unrestricted importation might be the means of spreading fruit pests, except in so far as this concerned the fruits of South Australia. The Minister of Finance (the Put. Hon. J. G. Coates) and lhe Industries and Commerce ! t Masters, M.L.C.), might be able to straighten the matter out in their J negotiations, but they would be up against very real and very difficult opposition from the potato growers of Victoria. Board and School Committee: Since the meeting of Fendalton parents a few weeks ago, when the attitude of the Canterbury Education Board was criticised, there have been no developments in the dispute between the board and the School Committee over the exclusion of certain pupils from the school. But a final decision is expected at next week’s meeting of the Education Board, when a deputation from the School Committee will ask the board to reconsider its attitude. Toward the end of September last the board decided to instruct the head | master of the Fendalton School <Mr A. R. Blank) to admit no more children from other school districts, and to exclude any pupils coming from outside the Fendalton school district. There was at once a protest from the school committee, backed later at a meeting of parents. The only ground on which the Education Board could compel the school to exclude pupils already be by showing that the school is crowded. It is on this point that difference of opinion c the committee and the board. So far, a reporter was iim to-day. no children from outside districts have left the Fendalton School, despite the board’s original edict.